Villa M, a six-bedroom, four story home, fully renovated in 2015, has the feel of an older house on the French Riviera, thanks to the beige stone cladding sourced from the area and the big old pine and olive trees surrounding the house. But the feeling of Villa M as traditional is atmospheric only. The home itself, with its 180-degree views of the sea, is stunningly modern. “We wanted something totally contemporary, lots of glass, minimalistic,” says Krisztina Anspach speaking about the house she built with her husband, Mathieu Forcioli.

The home overlooking the Mediterranean is perched on an over 10,000 square foot sloped lot. The house is near the village of Èze-Bord-de-Mer, an almost mythical destination that has been known for its air of romance as far back as the 19^th century, when novelist George Sand spoke of its “magical décor of the sinuosities of the coast”. This is the same area where Nietzsche was inspired to write Thus Spoke Zarathustra and it is also, says Villa M’s owner Krisztina, where she and Mathieu had their wedding ceremony.  “We wanted a home close to our hearts.”

Home is an elusive concept to this handsome young couple of bankers who now reside in Hong Kong. She is from Budapest and he from Corsica. They met at the prestigious Paris business school HEC and since have lived in London and Hong Kong. The south of France seemed like a place they could imagine as a home base and Villa M would be the first home they owned together. “Our very first home,” she says with emotion. It was a delightful romantic fantasy, Krisztina says laughing. The reality is that this high power couple is often on the road for work and doesn’t have too much free time for what is a seventeen-hour flight from Hong Kong to France. “Not exactly a weekend getaway,” she says, but apparently the house is so beloved that once or twice husband Mathieu has even gone for a long weekend. Complement fou?  No, she says, just madly in love with their new house.

There was a point in the renovation, however, says Krisztina, that the big love had a question mark after it. The length of the renovation and the construction chaos briefly turned a “daydream into a nightmare.” At one point in the renovation things like leaky rooms and surprise costs had them wondering if perhaps they had made a mistake. In fact, the first time they expected to stay in the house, they got there and it was still a construction site. They took a deep breath of new resolve and turned around and went to a hotel. Now, the house she says with relief is a dream come true.

Krisztina and Mathieu chose the best materials available for their home. All the the rooms have a white crystal marmoglass floor (marmoglass is a high-shine composite material often substituted for white marble) often seen in Chanel boutiques. One of Krisztina’s favorite spots is the fifth-floor living room, where she enjoys the view from a sleek silver-grey sectional with pale violet throw pillows by Italian designer Minotti.

Another Italian furniture design firm favored by the couple is Flou, where they sourced some of the furniture for their master bedroom, including the bed with its angled quilted headboard in the silvery pale grey that is found throughout the house. It is here on the bedroom’s terrace where you might be likely to find Krisztina reading, a cup of coffee nearby, or simply gazing at the sea and St. Jean Cap Ferrat. The bedroom also has what Krisztina calls her “standout piece”, a divider between the bedroom and its en-suite bathroom, is a Sicis floral pattern mosaic in a palette of black white and silver. “I love mosaic!” she explains. Another of Krisztina’s favorite pieces in the villa is a dressing table made by Balinese-French artist Etienne de Sousa, whose work can be seen at top fashion houses including Louis Vuitton. He is known for his work made of palm, coconut shell, mother of pearl and horn. The mother of pearl dresser in the master bedroom is a singular piece of work. “We do have a tiny bit of an Asian touch,” she says of the furniture and artwork in the villa.

One of the couple’s favorite things about the house is its wine cellar. It is hard to believe Krisztina and Mathieu have time for any kind of hobby with their demanding work and travel schedules, but they have made time for their wine collecting. “One of the very first things we did was to organize the wine cellar,” she says. The couple has a collection of four thousand bottles which, of course, cannot all be kept in the house. Many are in storage, but the couple do keep a selection of their favorite wines, champagnes and Bordeaux close at hand.

The area around Villa M is imbued with romance and full of things to do, with both Nice and Monaco an easy drive away. The couple loves to dine at Nice’s legendary La Petite Maison for pasta with truffles and a favorite lunch spot is the Club Dauphin, the beach club at the turn-of-the-century Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat.  “It is a wonderful place and fun to take the glass funicular down to the rocks,” says Krisztina.

With so little time for relaxing, the couple loves staying home in their idyllic perch over the sea. Nothing, Krisztina says is more pleasant than waking up very early after a flight in from Hong Kong, and seeing the sun rise over the sea. And as for future projects? She laughs. “We are still recovering from this one.”

Find out more about Villa M

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